Upper Mississippi Bridges Conference, June 9-10, to assemble groups from throughout the region to create strategies for combatting poverty in their communities.

Highland, Texas (PRWEB) March 25, 2014

aha! Process, Inc. and regional event sponsors, The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque – Project Hope, and City of Dubuque – Circles Initiative will host the Upper Mississippi Bridges Conference on June 9-10 in Dubuque, IA. The event is aimed at groups from across Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois working to reduce poverty in their communities and to create opportunities for all.

Bridges Out of Poverty
The conference is based on the Bridges Out of Poverty constructs that help employers, community organizations, social service agencies, law enforcement, schools, and individuals understand poverty and reduce poverty in a comprehensive way. Bridges brings people from all sectors and economic classes together to understand the mindsets of economic class and engage with each other to improve job retention rates, build resources, and improve lives. Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn from others who have built successful community-wide partnerships to address poverty issues and to work with Bridges Out of Poverty experts to develop practical strategies for implementing cross-sector poverty reduction initiatives.

Conference Highlights
The event will lead off with a dinner on Monday June 9th sponsored by The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, which will include a keynote from Dr. Ruby Payne, founder and CEO of aha! Process, Inc. and co-author of the book, Bridges Out of Poverty. Tuesday’s conference will begin with Mike Saccocio, Executive Director of City Mission in Schenectady, NY who will share a detailed account of how that community has achieved amazing results with their cross-sector Bridges initiative. Philip DeVol, author of the book and award-winning curriculum, Getting Ahead in a Just Getting’ By World will provide participants with real-world experience on how to start a successful Bridges initiative. This will be followed by a series of sector-specific workshops in which participants will take away specific strategies and tactics for developing and implementing programs to support under-resourced individuals in education, social services, healthcare, business and law enforcement.

Community-Wide Approach
It takes a coordinated cross-sector effort to truly understand poverty and address the challenges that it presents to a community. aha! Process uses the “triple lens” approach to influence poverty-related issues at the individual, institutional, and community levels. To maximize the value of the Upper Mississippi Bridges Conference, participants are encouraged to attend with others from their community who are working to address these challenges with a coordinated cross-agency effort.

About aha! Process
aha! Process is a professional development company that works across all aspects of a community to address the root causes of poverty, support individuals as they build resources, and achieve a sustainable community where everyone can live well. They have worked with thousands of schools, employers, hospitals, colleges, first responders, judges, and community organizations, providing concrete strategies and proven tools to help under-resourced individuals thrive. Each program leverages over 15 years of experience strengthened by a growing body of knowledge from communities benefiting from our model. These programs help institutions and communities understand the mindsets of people in poverty and engage with them to build success.

About the Conference Sponsors
The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation helps shape Dubuque's future through action. Greater Dubuque is focused on helping spur economic growth in Dubuque through business retention and expansion programs, workforce development solutions, new business recruitment and retail expansion.

The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque grows philanthropy to improve life in Northeast Iowa by serving donors, strengthening nonprofits and leading collaborative initiatives to address community needs.

The City of Dubuque and the Community Foundation partner to support Project HOPE. Together with a strong set of partners, Project HOPE seeks to improve inter-agency collaboration and increase access to services in order to connect disengaged youth and adults to education and employment opportunities

City of Dubuque – Circles® Initiative is part of an innovative national movement that connects volunteers and community leaders to families wanting to make the journey out of poverty. The Dubuque Circles® Initiative uses the Bridges Out of Poverty constructs and works to overcome barriers that keep even the most motivated from achieving prosperity by expanding opportunity and support for families as they create their own paths to stability.

Local arrangements are being coordinated by JMO Services, a Dubuque based consulting firm specializing in issues related to human relationships between individuals, within organizations and at the community level.